Mining Exports Still Drive Australia's Growth

SYDNEY—A decade of hefty investment in resource-rich Australia's mining industry is paying off, with government data showing the economy grew faster than expected in the final three months of last year.

Gross domestic product climbed 2.8% from a year earlier and 0.8% from the third quarter, a report Wednesday showed, higher than the respective 2.5% and 0.7% increases economists were expecting.